WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER, 2017

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF HARBOURS IN BY THE HON. THE MINISTER OF HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, MR CHITOTELA

Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to update the august House on the construction and status of harbours in Zambia.

Sir, allow me to set the stage by clarifying what we mean when we refer to harbours so that we can be on the same level of understanding. A harbour is a sheltered area of a water body in which vessels can be launched, taken for repair, docked, and where they can transfer people or cargo to or from land or indeed, where they can seek refuge in times of storms. Thus, in most cases, harbours are mentioned together with the waterways just like stations and roads.

Mr Speaker, in Zambia, as in many other countries, inland water transport plays a vital role in providing transport services particularly in areas with no proper roads and which are around major water bodies such as the , Kafue, Chambeshi and Luapula , as well as lakes such as Kariba, Bangweulu, Mweru, Mweru-Wantipa and Tanganyika. In relation to the topic under discussion, the six major waterways which are of high importance are; Lake Tanganyika, , , Lake Kariba, Luapula , Zambezi River and . Most of these waterways need human intervention to improve their capability to be used for water transportation. They require deepening, widening and removal of obstructions such as rocks or tree to make them navigable. Because of this factor, inland waterway transport in Zambia has lagged behind as compared to other modes of transportation. Most of our harbours are in their natural state and require upgrading.

Mr Speaker, harbours do not exist in isolation, but form an integral part of the transportation network on lakes, rivers and canals. While Zambia has several harbours, most of them are in a natural state. The notable ones are; Mpulungu Harbour on Lake Tanganyika, which is the only international water gateway to the Great Lakes Region, Chilubi Harbour on Lake Bangweulu, Harbour on Lake Bangweulu, Nchelenge Harbour on Lake Mweru, Siavonga Harbour on WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER, 2017

Lake Kariba and Sinazongwe Harbour on Lake Kariba, Mulambwa Harbour on Zambezi River in Mongu, Luangwa/Feira Harbour on Luangwa River, Lupiya Harbour on Lake Mweru, Nsumbu Harbour on Lake Tanganyika and Shang’ombo Harbour on Rivungo Canal.

Sir, I wish to reiterate that our harbours as they stand today are still in their natural form and pose enormous challenges to our people during boarding on to and disembarking from the passenger vessels, and loading and offloading cargo. In some of our areas, boats and canoes are used as the primary mode of transportation and therefore, this situation is of great concern to this Government. For this reason, the Patriotic Front (PF) embarked on the development and upgrading of some of our existing harbours in order to improve the facilities and service delivery to our people. In this regard, four contracts were signed to rehabilitate the harbour facilities on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Lake Bangweulu and Lake Mweru in 2014. This signified the commencement of Phase 1 of the rehabilitation and development of harbours. Under Phase 1, the feasibility study for the modernisation of Mpulungu Port is still underway. The Government has received the report submitted by the consultant with a preliminary cost of US$47 million. The bankable document to be prepared following the study will enable the Government access funds from cooperating partners for actual construction of the new Mpulungu Harbour. The Government has already requested the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Union (EU) for the US$47 million to fund the construction. Among other costs to be covered are; geo-technical investigation, acquisition of land for the extension and dredging of the ship inlet.

Sir, 35 per cent of works on the structure at Nchelenge Harbour have been completed at the cost of K1.4 million. These works include, upgrading of the Nchelenge/ Mweru Water Transport Board Offices, lodging facilities and construction of landing jets and associated embankments. The contractor working on the office block and lodging facilities has since submitted the second certificate for payment. The contract sum is K30 million and the contractor is Messrs Angel Construction.

Mr Speaker, works at Samfya Harbour were done at a contract sum of K30 million. The works include finalisation of the geo-technical investigation and on-going construction of embankments WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER, 2017 and landing jets. Further, works are still at design stage for the road and the driveway to docking points. Currently, 20 per cent of the works have been completed. The contractor is Kawazane Enterprises.

Mr Speaker, with regard to Chilubi Harbour, Messrs Clest Mark Investment Limited was engaged to carry out the development of the landing jets at the cost of K490, 606. However, progress on the works is not expected as the project has stalled at slab level, with only three courses built. The contractor has since abandoned the site for more than six months. Following this state of affairs, the termination process of the contract has begun.

Mr Speaker, in the Western Province, improvement of the Shang’ombo Harbour was initiated by the collaborative efforts involving the Government of Zambia and Angola through the development of the Shang’ombo to Rivungo Canal. The first phase involved the construction of the 10 km canal which has since been completed and is now usable. Further, the Government aims to establish a new intermodal transport network combining water, rail, road and air transport system between Shang’ombo and Rivungo Districts. With regard to the harbour infrastructure on the Zambian side, Messrs Clest Mark Investment Limited contractor will commence works as soon as he finishes demobilising from Rivungo on the Angolan side where works have been completed.

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, I want to indicate that Government will continue with its proactive stance on harbour infrastructure development in the country in order to improve the inland and waterways transportation.

Government, through my ministry, will ensure that all current works are completed without further delay. I have also directed the Director for Public Infrastructure to ensure adequate budgetary provisions are made for the improvement of harbour facilities countrywide in the coming years. This will ensure that our harbour meet international maritime standards.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.